SKINHEADS
Written by Kodi Mason for S.H.A.R.P. – Wheeling, WV Chapter
Introduction: I’m writing this because I want to have a history of the skinhead
youth cult as whole (but not
write a book) for the SHARP Chapter’s homepage. So anyone referred there can get
an idea of the
backdrop (so to speak) for the scene today, that is, if you (the reader) don’t
already know. I’ve noticed that
some shorter histories on small pages like this one leave out certain details,
making them seem “sugar
coated.” I’m trying to keep as much of the important details without writing a
book. So, without further
ado, here it is.
The skinheads are the grandchildren of the Mod and Rude Boy(Girl) youth
cults. The Mods were
products of post war England in the 60’s. They were, as their name denotes,
modernists. Their bit was to
have more fun and be more smart and fashionable than their generations before
them. They dressed in the
latest fashions to give themselves a smart look.
The Mods’ interest in the new sounds of reggae and ska coming from the West
Indian communities put
them in contact with the black youths of the time (known as Rude Boys or Girls
in the case of lady). The
“Rudies” wore similar suits, with the sleeves and legs cut a few inches about
the wrists and ankles, and
wrap-around sunglasses. The Mods’ exposure to the Rudies catalyzed the birth of
the “Hard Mod” after the
(orginal) Mods’ decline in the latter part of the 60’s.
The Hard Mod was the child of the Mod and Rude Boy mingling. They sported
shorter hair, boots, and kept
their suits and wingtips for nights on the town. They still dressed smart, but
smart hardened with a rough
working class look.
Your average Hard Mod was a pretty big fan of soccer (football to them) and the
ol’ bovver. You know,
aggro. Ass kicking. *Oh yes, and a few sore heads courtesy of 200 shaven-headed
bootboys in Millwall colors,
running along behind, chanting “Enoch! Enoch!” and generally causing enough
trouble to make the papers
the next day. Forget your wars in South-East Asia and your acid trips to
nowhere. Skinheads had arrived!
(Marshall, 8)
They were avid fans of the ska and reggae the Mods and Rudies listened to as well
as the aggro and the
soccer. (Jamaican artists like Desmond Dekker, Laurel Aitken, Max Romeo,
Derrick Morgan, Symarip, and many others; such as Judge Dread, who is very popular when it comes to skinhead reggae) And because of the abundance of jobs
at the time these
working class kids were able to afford the street-smart, hard look they’re known
for.
Often, skinheads would square off with fans of rival soccer teams giving the
police and the (unfortunately)
the innocent bystander, from time to time. These skins weren’t concerned with
politics in the least. They
were too busy keeping their turf protected from rival skinhead gangs, or the
occasional grease or hippie.
(and in some cases, gays…or anyone that looked like them. Mainly because they
couldn’t fight very well
and made for a good chase.)
The in the height of the movement’s success (in the summer of 1969) there was a
large amount of Pakistani
and Asian immigrants in England the skinheads didn’t like all the strangers in
their neighborhoods taking
their jobs and seeming like the first choice in priorities to their own
government. The skins lashed out
violently against the immigrants, in what was called the “Anti-Paki League.”
White, Black and mixed
gangs often went out “Paki bashing”, most popular in London’s east end. The
fact that black youths (some
being skinheads, some being Rude Boys, and some normals), and Greek youths also
had their fair share of
Paki bashing disproves the claim that it was based purely on racial animosity.
1969 came and went and so did the skins. Most grew out their hair to about an
inch and parting it, reverting
more towards the Mod style of dress and came to be called suedeheads. And soon
the suedeheads were
growing their hair out longer and taking a more casual look.
Revival: With the birth of street punk bands like Cock Sparrer, Menace, and
namely Sham 69 (who’s
singer Jimmy Pursey was before and later a skin) came a revival of skinheads.
These skins took a more
rough around the edges look, not quite as smart their older brothers but just as
hard. The original skins
didn’t take well to them and usually gave them all quite a beating, calling them
“bald punks.” The constant
rioting at shows ruined bands like Sham 69 and eventually screwed the 2nd wave
skins over in a way.
The skinheads were attracting attention of ultra-right wing, racist groups like
the National Front and the
British Movement. Namely, because of their taste for aggro and their Paki
Bashing in the late 60’s. Many
skins were converted and brought politics into the scene… dividing it right down
the middle. A new batch
of ska started off the The Specials on the infamous 2-Tone label brought about a
large rivival of traditonal
skinheads, many of which wanted to nothing to do with the street punk their
younger brothers were kicking
heads in to.
Because of the black artists in many of the 2 Tone bands there was violence from
the NF, and BM skins.
But not as much as you’d expect. Many of them were doing the NF thing because it
gave them something
they thought would impress the ladies. We’re dealing with minds in high gear,
here folks…
(It should be added that most of the BM and NF “skinheads” were avid glue
sniffers. ‘Nuff said.) The 2
Tone days came and went with a minimal amount of seig heiling.
The real trouble came around when the new street punk bands gave birth to Oi! A
name taken from the
Cockney slang term for “Hey!” Also, front man for the Cockney Rejects, Stinky
Geggus, insisted that the
chant of “Oi! Oi! Oi!” replace the usual “1, 2, 3”. It stuck. Because of the
sound of the music, the glue-
sniffing Boneheads (the name real skins gave to the NF and BM following skins in
attempt to distance
themselves.) were attracted to Oi! So you bet your last dime that they were
always showing up and causing
trouble. Not to say that ALL violence and trouble at shows was ALL their fault.
One example was Southall. Southall was a town that was home to a large Asian
community. Because of the NF and BM exploiting the skinheads and the media
exploiting the exploitation people were already starting to associate skinheads
with “white power” and racism. The Asian youths were expecting trouble from the
skins, and were well prepared for it. Halfway through the show they rioted,
smashing in the windows and the like. The decision was then made to evacuate the
bar. Even after the bar the show was being held in had been evacuated, the Asian
crowds rioted into the night, giving the police much trouble and eventually
burning the bar to the ground. If the NF had left skins alone, and if the skins
had been smart enough not to get involved with political organizations this wouldn’t
have happened. Here’s why: Because of some skinheads involvement with NF/BM and
the media’s knack for blowing things out of proportion the Asian youths at
Southall felt their community was being threatened. However, they did not have
to react in the way that they did. There’s no one person or group at fault. and
Oi! in the UK wasn’t getting much help, because of the media blaming Oi! and the
skins for the entire thing. By about this time skinhead was enjoying some
success in other countries, namely the United States and Australia. Sadly, the
Boneheads were more plentiful in the U.S. than your true Skins. The same was the
case in the U.K. Bands like Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack and Skullhead didn’t
help, either. Skrewdriver formed R.A.C. (Rock Against Communism – a name to
parody Rock Against Racism), and later Blood And Honour. RAC is today the
Bonehead’s own brand of Oi! How fitting; wannabe Oi for wannabe skinheads.
Towards the end of the 80’s groups like SHARP (and in the early 90’s – Red &
Anarchist Skinheads [RASH]) helped to lower the Bonehead population. This new
crop of skinheads made for a mixture of the first 2 waves. You now have your
TradSkins, Oi! Skins, Punk skins, Redskins, and some other variaties. And from
the current strength of skinheads and Oi! From all over the world, it looks as
if skinhead wont be going anywhere any time soon.
Oi! Oi! Oi!